There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling den wagering is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a generally tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are supposedly required to cross, there are methods around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling den, contains 150 slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the common table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel compound that features numerous amenities in addition to the casino, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.